The
Analysis and Assessment of Thinking(Helping Students Assess
Their Thinking)

by Richard Paul and
Linda Elder

There are two essential
dimensions of thinking that students need to master in order to
learn how to upgrade their thinking. They need to be able to identify
the "parts" of their thinking, and they need to be able to assess
their use of these parts of thinking , as follows:

All reasoning has
a purpose.

All reasoning is an
attempt to figure something out, to settle some question, to solve
some problem.

All reasoning is based
on assumptions.

All reasoning is done
from some point of view.

All reasoning is based
on data, information, and evidence.

All reasoning is expressed
through, and shaped by, concepts and ideas.

All reasoning contains
inferences by which we draw conclusions and give meaning to data.

All reasoning leads
somewhere, has implications and consequences.

The question can then
be raised, "What appropriate intellectual standards do students
need to assess the "parts" of their thinking?" There are many standards
appropriate to the assessment of thinking as it might occur in this
or that context, but some standards are virtually universal (that
is, applicable to all thinking): clarity, precision, accuracy, relevance,
depth, breadth, and logic.

How well a student is
reasoning depends on how well he/she applies these universal standards
to the elements (or parts) of thinking.

What follows are some
guidelines helpful to students as they work toward developing their
reasoning abilities:

All reasoning has
a PURPOSE.

Take time to state
your purpose clearly.

Distinguish your
purpose from related purposes.

Check periodically
to be sure you are still on target.

Choose significant
and realistic purposes.

All reasoning is an
attempt to FIGURE SOMETHING OUT, TO SETTLE SOME QUESTION,
TO SOLVE SOME PROBLEM.

Take time to clearly
and precisely state the question at issue.

Express the question
in several ways to clarify its meaning and scope.

Break the question
into sub questions.

Identify if the
question has one right answer, is a matter of opinion, or
requires reasoning from more than one point of view.

All reasoning is based
on ASSUMPTIONS.

Clearly identify
your assumptions and determine whether they are justifiable.

Consider how your
assumptions are shaping your point of view.

All reasoning is done
from some POINT OF VIEW.

Identify your
point of view.

Seek other points
of view and identify their strengths as well as weaknesses.

Strive to be fair-minded
in evaluating all points of view.

All reasoning is based
on DATA, INFORMATION and EVIDENCE.

Restrict your
claims to those supported by the data you have.

Search for information
that opposes your position as well as information that supports
it.

Make sure that
all information used is clear, accurate, and relevant to the
question at issue.

Make sure you
have gathered sufficient information.

All reasoning is expressed
through, and shaped by, CONCEPTS and IDEAS.

Identify key concepts
and explain them clearly.

Consider alternative
concepts or alternative definitions to concepts.

Make sure you
are using concepts with care and precision.

All reasoning contains
INFERENCES or INTERPRETATIONS
by which we draw CONCLUSIONS and give meaning
to data.

Infer only what
the evidence implies.

Check inferences
for their consistency with each other.

Identify assumptions
which lead you to your inferences.

All reasoning leads
somewhere or has IMPLICATIONS and CONSEQUENCES.

Trace the implications
and consequences that follow from your reasoning.